The Mom Files: 17 Months

January 9, 2016

Hello, 17 months. Nice to make your acquaintance. As I write this I’m wondering how I will actually survive parenthood. Like really. Should I buy stock in energy drinks? Like having a newborn is hard, but then they start crawling, then walking, then having preferences, then being irrational AND SO ON. What am I going to do when he’s going to a sleepover party when he’s 15 years old and there are girls there but, don’t worry, mom, they’re not sleeping over. OK SURE THING, SON. I BELIEVE YOU.*

Pictured above is one of the few successes we’ve had with utensils. Bringing to his mouth is fine but scooping or stabbing is a challenge. He also insists on helping me with the dishwasher. I want to include him so I suffer through it but then I open the door and the poor penguin is jammed under the bottom rack.

Harrison is a tantrum machine right now. It’s partly cute, mostly just gets an eye roll from me, and also quite exhausting when it’s all day long. I do really think the foot stomping that comes along with it is so funny and so I have to hold back my laughter.

Recent tantrum-inducing events:

I put his backpack in the car

I left the room

I came back in the room

I was in the bathroom and he couldn’t find me and continued to circle the house while I called his name out the open bathroom door

I went downstairs to get laundry without telling him

I wouldn’t let him mess up the laundry

He had to wear a coat outside

I wouldn’t let him throw the Grinch from the shopping cart, on repeat, all through the store

AND SO ON AND SO FORTH WHAT FUN SUCH A MAGICAL TIME.

He also stopped nursing cold turkey a couple days before Christmas. We went from three feeds a day to two and then the next day to none. I offered to him a couple times a day for a week and he didn’t want it. He actually squirmed and tried to get away. So there we have it. The end of our nursing journey at 16.5 mos was an abrupt, full stop, grind to a halt, do not pass go nor collect even one iota of emotional stability. I cried for four days, pumped a couple times to ease the transition and now we’ve moved on I guess. The stoppage of nursing at 16 months isn’t particularly upsetting in itself, I just had no warning. No time to think “this is our last nursing session” or anything like that. I just blinked and it was done. I guess it’s good as I’m finally heading back to work this month. I was willing to nurse through that but I guess now we don’t even have to worry about that.

When we used to get to this page he would always point to me as “where do we get milk?” I thought it was pretty cute. And one of our last nursing pictures together. Early December, maybe? And an alligator for good measure. Watch out for the teeth.

With me going back to work, it also means Harrison will be going to daycare for the first time. We found one we like… I guess. As much as one can like a daycare… He will adjust better than I will. We’ve been for a couple trial runs and he just wanders off and plays by himself while I try not to turn into a puddle of tears in the corner. And oh my goodness there are so many changes in our house right now and, specifically, in Harrison and I’s relationship. My husband will be with Harrison on Fridays and they haven’t spent much solo time together because I’m a loser who is ALWAYS AROUND so that will be a nice change for them too. Since my husband has a more flexible work schedule, the “main contact” parent responsibilities shifts from me to him. If Harrison is sick at daycare or has to go to the doctor, I’m no longer the one doing that. It’s a bit weird for me, but really good for the family to have that balance.

We also had a great – but very, very quiet – Christmas, just the three of us. My husband and I spent MOST of Christmas Eve playing Donkey Kong on the SNES. So there’s that.

I hope you had a wonderful holiday as well!

Until Next Time,

*just kidding, I absolutely don’t.

A transplant from western Canada, Sarah and her husband now live in Hamilton, Ontario. They are parents to a little guy, born August 2014, and have also acquired two plants to care for. You can follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @ispeakcanadian.